Can Flu Shots cause Flu ? - Page 2

Well if your going to show the numbers of people contracting H1N1, then one should post all the people who have been saved from it. After working with Trauma patients that come from around the world, I, nor any of the physicians I worked with at the time, was willing to take the risk. Like anything else, not all vaccines are created equal and big Pharm companies instead of throwing the vaccines away when a batch is not living up to par, will resale them to someone else.

Instead of blaming flu shots, we really should be looking at resistant viruses that are a far bigger problem. Flu shots are made early in the year to make enough for the coming season. Its like trying to predict what is going to happen in the future then make something that will work for most people. Not fail safe.

I dont see how one strain of the flu virus can mutate and cause H1N1. I would want to see that research for that.

Bhaugh, good points. Numerous top experts have said that basically most flu shots are worthless because they have no cross immunity year to year between different strains.  Some say they cause flu.  I think there has been some research on some of this but as I remeber it suggests no cross immunity between different strains and basically it's like shooting at a moving target in most cases.  If folks get good results or at least feel confident they do, it's their decision to make and it may work well for them.  But many bewlieve these yearly shots are either worthless or can cause problems and flu.  What most of us want is medicine based on solid science, research and results not just to make money for big pharma.

Like any vaccine, if you give a modified live virus to someone and their immune system is weak, then chances are they may get the flu. Even a killed virus vaccine can get a person sick with a low immunity. By most standards, flu shots do work for a majority of the people. Nothing is fail proof unfortunately.

Instead of blaming flu shots, we really should be looking at resistant viruses that are a far bigger problem. Flu shots are made early in the year to make enough for the coming season. Its like trying to predict what is going to happen in the future then make something that will work for most people. Not fail safe. 

Good post Bhaugh.  It is evident that some people lack knowledge about pathogens, the human immune system, and just how long it takes to create effective vaccines.  I teach so I always get a flu shot.  Flu shots have never made me sick.  

you teach?  what? I review literature daily.  I've been a part of bringing an actual vaccine to market (animal) and i'd venture a guess that  i've had more classes on immuno in one semester than most have had in a lifetime.    any legitimate review of studies and lit has shown flu shots to be marginally effective at best or having no efficacy.   If you want to get one go ahead but don't fool yourself into thinking some of us made this decision because we don't have the education you do

I never get the flu shot so they've never made me sick either :)

I have a degree in medical technology and was a lab supervisor at a pathology lab (human pathogen studies).  I then decided to go into teaching and got a degree in secondary education in biology.  I teach biology, marine biology, and AP biology.  I've taken more than my share of chemistry, biology, physics, and microbiology courses, including pathogenic bacteriology.    

Hope you don't get the flu this winter.  Remember to wash your hands and don't go over board with antibacterial soaps (they do more harm than good).   

so then you know that pathogenic bacT and micro have nothing to do with influenza.  They may have taught you something about the pathogenesis of a secondary infection like pnuemonia, but that's different.  You should also be fairly adept at reading and understanding the literature thats out there.  I'm curious as to how what convinced you that flu vaccines are effective?

That was a rather snotty response.  ANY vaccine is only as good as the person's (or dog) ability to build appropriate antibodies. . If the body is not well enough to do this, then the person will get sick either from the vaccine or the actual illness.

The hope is that the strain offered during the current year will produce the appropriate antibodies. Some antibodies for sick/elderly at high risk is better than none. With anything we put into our bodies, a risk, but one most are willing to take. And no didnt read that in any literature!

One would think some antibodies  are better than none, but when you look at 30 years of the vaccine history in a population that is most easily measurable and have an increase of more than 50% of that population being vaccinated, one would think it's also reasonable to expect their to be a change in the hospitalization and mortality rates of that population due to influenza.  It's also reasonable to expect that almost 80% rates compared to around 20% vaccination rates would yield different incidinces of illness and death from the flu.  

the problem is, it hasn't.  They've generated such a fear of the flu it's easy to convince people of lots of stuff.  I have to give them credit.  They really created themselves a nice market and they profit nicely from it every year.

LOL zdog--I can tell you did not take the course!  We spent a GREAT deal of time on viruses as well as bacteria.  And, everyone knows that viruses are taught about  in microbiology (I ought to know I taught it in the past).  What is your degree in?   Don't forget your history and the 1918 flu epidemic.  

Keep washing your hands.  Remember to scrub hard and long (very important).